She has a light-blue hull and a beige superstructure like all Maersk vessels, regardless of their flag of registry.[6] She was hijacked by pirates near Somalia in 2009 and her crew held hostage. Four additional unsuccessful hijacking attempts were made later that year, 2010, and 2011.[7]

On April 7, 2009, the U.S. Maritime Administration, following NATO advisories, released a Somalia Gulf of Aden advisory to mariners recommending ships to stay at least 600 nautical miles (1,100 km; 690 mi) off the coast of Somalia. On April 8, 2009, four Somali pirates boarded the Maersk Alabama when it was located 240 nmi (440 km; 280 mi) southeast of the Somalia port city of Eyl.[10] With a crew of 20, the ship was en route to Mombasa, Kenya. The ship was carrying 17,000 metric tons of cargo, of which 5,000 metric tons were relief supplies bound for Somalia, Uganda, and Kenya.[4][11]

The Maersk Alabama lifeboat on which Captain Phillips was held hostage by Somalian pirates in 2009 is on display at the National Navy SEAL Museum.

According to Chief Engineer Mike Perry, the engineers sank the pirate speedboat shortly after the boarding by continuously swinging the rudder of the Maersk Alabama thus scuttling the smaller boat.[12] As the pirates were boarding the ship, the crew members locked themselves in the engine room[13] while the captain and two other crew members remained on the bridge.[citation needed] The engineers then took control of the ship from down below, rendering the bridge controls useless.[citation needed] The pirates were thus unable to control the ship. The crew later used "brute force" to overpower one of the pirates,[13]Abduwali Muse, and free one of the hostages, Abu Thair Mohd Zahid Reza.[citation needed] Frustrated, the pirates decided to leave the ship, and took Phillips with them to a lifeboat as their bargaining chip.[citation needed] The crew attempted to exchange this captured pirate, whom they had kept tied up for twelve hours,[14] for Captain Phillips. The captured pirate was released but the pirates refused to release Phillips in exchange. Since the battery had died on the open-air boat, they left in the ship's covered lifeboat, taking Phillips with them.[15] The lifeboat carried ten days of food rations, water and basic survival supplies.[16] On April 8, the destroyer USS Bainbridge and the frigate USS Halyburton were dispatched to the Gulf of Aden in response to a hostage situation, and reached Maersk Alabama early on April 9.[17]Maersk Alabama then departed from the area with an armed escort, towards its original destination in Mombasa, Kenya, with the vessel's Chief Mate Shane Murphy in charge.[13] On Saturday, April 11, Maersk Alabama arrived in the port of Mombasa, Kenya, still under U.S. military escort, where C/M Murphy was relieved by Captain Larry Aasheim, who had previously been captain of the Maersk Alabama until Richard Phillips relieved him eight days prior to the pirate attack. An 18-man marine security team was on board.[17] The FBI secured the ship as a crime scene.[18]

On April 9, a standoff began between the Bainbridge and the pirates in the Maersk Alabama's lifeboat, where they continued to hold Captain Phillips hostage.[19][20] Three days later, on Sunday, April 12, Navy marksmen opened fire and killed the three pirates on the lifeboat, and Phillips was rescued in good condition.[21][22] The Bainbridge captain Commander Frank Castellano, with prior authorization from U.S. PresidentBarack Obama, ordered the action after determining that Phillips' life was in immediate danger, based on reports that a pirate was pointing an AK-47 assault rifle at his back.[23][24][25]U.S. Navy SEALsnipers on Bainbridge's fantail opened fire, killing the three pirates with bullets to the head,[26] one of whom was named Ali Aden Elmi, another whose last name was Hamac, and the third unidentified.[27] A fourth pirate, Abduwali Muse, aboard the Bainbridge and negotiating for Phillips' release while being treated for an injury sustained in the takeover of Maersk Alabama, surrendered and was taken into custody.[21][22] Muse's parents asked that he be pardoned because he was either 15 or 16 years old at the time of the incident, but in court it was ruled that he was not a juvenile and would be tried as an adult.[27] He later pled guilty to piracy charges and was sentenced to more than 33 years in prison.[27][28]

The actual lifeboat in which Captain Phillips was held hostage is now on display at the National Navy SEAL Museum in Ft. Pierce, FL.[29] An example of the Scan Eagle used to monitor the crisis is also on display.[30]

At 6:30 am on November 18, 2009, the Maersk Alabama was reportedly sailing some 350 nautical miles (650 km) east of Somalia when she was fired upon by four pirates wielding automatic weapons and traveling in a skiff.[7][31][32] The assault failed after guards on the ship responded with small arms fire and acoustical weapons.[33] Afterward, a Djibouti-based patrol plane flew to the scene and an EU ship searched the area.[34]

29 September 2010, the vessel was targeted by Somali pirates wielding AK-47s. The security force on board the Maersk Alabama repelled a skiff with 5 pirates approximately 1,530 kilometres (950 mi) east of Somalia. The incident went unreported by the media until November 2010.[35]

Midnight, 14 May 2011, while transiting westbound in the international recognized corridor, Maersk Alabama was approached by a skiff of five pirates on the starboard stern. After turning to follow the ship's wake, the skiff quickly closed in to 30 metres (98 ft), preparing to board via a hook ladder, whereupon the embarked security team fired two shots into the skiff. The skiff quickly broke off and radar contact was lost after 10 minutes.[38]

On 19 February 2014, it was reported that two former Navy SEALs working as security contractors aboard the Maersk Alabama for the private security firm Trident Group were found dead aboard the container ship, a day after it docked at Port Victoria, Seychelles.[39] Seychelles police officials reported that the autopsy found the cause of death to be "respiratory failure, with suspicion of myocardial infarction (heart attack)." The presence of a syringe and traces of heroin in the cabin led to a suspicion of drug use.[40] In April, following receipt of a toxicology report which found alcohol in the men's blood, police confirmed that death had been caused by consumption of alcohol and heroin.[41][42] Criminal investigations are continuing in Seychelles.[41] Seychelles law enforcement released the vessel on February 24.[43]

On February 26, 2014, the New York Times published a long profile of the two men, entitled "Hired to Fight Pirates, but Doomed by Boredom".[44] A team of eight journalists, reporting from around the world, reported that the suggestions of hard partying and drug use were completely out of character. Friends described both men as clean-living, heavily muscled, fitness enthusiasts. Reynolds did not drink alcohol. A work-out buddy of Kennedy said he was "so clean cut and chiseled that he was nicknamed Captain America."

^ abElizabeth Landau (2014-02-26). "Mystery shrouds 'Captain Phillips' ship deaths". CNN. Archived from the original on 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2014-10-23. Seychelles police say the autopsy found the cause of death to be "respiratory failure, with suspicion of myocardial infarction (heart attack)." The presence of a syringe and traces of heroin in the cabin have led to a suspicion of drug use, police said.

^ abcNicholas Kulish, Ian Urbina, Mark Mazzetti, Jeremy Alford, Christopher Drew, Kristina Rebelo, Susan Beachy, Kitty Bennett (2014-02-26). "Hired to Fight Pirates, but Doomed by Boredom". Victoria, Seychelles: New York Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on 2014-07-10. Retrieved 2014-10-23. While veterans, especially those returning from war zones, have shown a high prevalence of substance abuse and other risky behaviors, friends, family and acquaintances of the two men said they seemed to have adjusted well to civilian life after years in the military. They were known as much for their zest for life as their hulking physiques.